3513.262
Filing deadline for nominating petitions.

The nominating petitions of
all candidates required to be filed before four p.m. of the day before the day
of the primary election immediately preceding the general election shall be
processed as follows:

If such petition is filed
with the secretary of state, the secretary of state shall, not later than the
fifteenth day of June following the filing of such petition, or if the primary
election was a presidential primary election, not later than the end of the
sixth week after the day of that election, transmit to each board such separate
petition papers as purport to contain signatures of electors of the county of
such board. If such petition is filed with the board of the most populous
county of a district or of a county in which the major portion of the
population of a subdivision is located, such board shall, not later than the
fifteenth day of June, or if the primary election was a presidential primary
election, not later than the end of the sixth week after the day of that
election, transmit to each board within such district such separate petition
papers of the petition as purport to contain signatures of electors of the
county of such board.

All petition papers so
transmitted to a board and all nominating petitions filed with a board shall,
under proper regulations, be open to public inspection from the fifteenth day
of June until four p.m. of the thirtieth day of that month, or if the primary
election was a presidential primary election, from the end of the sixth week
after the election until four p.m. of the end of the seventh week after the
election. Each board shall, not later than the next fifteenth day of July, or
if the primary election was a presidential primary election, not later than the
end of the tenth week after the day of that election, examine and determine the
sufficiency of the signatures on the petition papers transmitted to or filed
with it, and the validity of the petitions filed with it, and shall return to
the secretary of state all petition papers transmitted to it by
the secretary
of state, together with its certification of its determination as to the
validity or invalidity of signatures thereon, and shall return to each other
board all petition papers transmitted to it by such other board, as provided in
this section, together with its certification of its determination as to the
validity or invalidity of signatures thereon. A
signature on a nominating petition is not valid if it is dated more than one
year before the date the nominating petition was filed. All other matters
affecting the validity or invalidity of such petition papers shall be
determined by the secretary of state or the board with whom such petition
papers were filed.

Written protests against
nominating petitions may be filed by any qualified elector eligible to vote for
the candidate whose nominating petition the elector
objects to, not later than four p.m. of the thirtieth day of July, or if the
primary election was a presidential primary election, not later than the end of
the twelfth week after the day of that election. Such protests shall be filed
with the election officials with whom the nominating petition was filed. Upon
the filing of such protest, the election officials with whom it is filed shall
promptly fix the time and place for hearing it, and shall forthwith mail notice
of the filing of such protest and the time and place for hearing it to the
person whose nomination is protested. They shall also forthwith mail notice of
the time and place fixed for the hearing to the person who filed the protest.
At the time fixed, such election officials shall hear the protest and determine
the validity or invalidity of the petition. Such determination shall be
final.

A protest against the
nominating petition filed by joint candidates for the offices of governor and
lieutenant governor shall be filed, heard, and determined in the same manner as
a protest against the nominating petition of a candidate who files
individually.

Amended by
129th General AssemblyFile
No.40, HB 194,
§1 Made subject to
referendum in the Nov. 6, 2012 election. The version of this section thus
amended was repealed by
129th General AssemblyFile
No.105, SB 295,
§1, eff.
8/15/2012.